Buffalo, NY – I live in the Parkside neighborhood of Buffalo, where there have been recent news reports of house break-ins. The Parkside Community Association suggested that a dog may be the best burglar prevention device. My kids really want a dog. I’m not so sure. When I was young, my next door neighbors had a dog...

Buffalo, NY – The Alleyway Theatre Company got a belated Christmas present. The company was recently awarded a $50,000 grant from the New York State Council on the Arts for renovations of its new Upper West Arts Center on Richmond Avenue.

Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, NY – The decision over the weekend by the Seneca Nation of Indians Tribal Council to approve a gambling agreement with New York State has raised the hopes of supporters for casinos in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and on Seneca land.

According to the Buffalo News, Seneca President Cyrus Schindler will submit the terms to Governor Pataki. He expressed optimism Pataki would accept them but would not say what they are.

Buffalo, NY – State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt is calling on Governor Pataki to instruct his appointees on the NFTA Board of Commissioners to reject a proposed fare increase for Metro Bus and Rail.

Assembly Hoyt says the governor promised New York City residents in December that he would do what he can to stop proposed rate hikes for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Pataki is quoted as saying the fare increase would be the "wrong thing to do" as the New York City continues to recover from September 11th.

Buffalo, NY – The Buffalo Building and Construction Trades Council rallied outside the Tri-Main Building in Buffalo Friday. Inside, representatives from Erie County were meeting with the non-union shop, Merit Construction Alliance, and construction manager, Ciminelli Cowper, about the county courthouse renovation project.

Trades president Dan Boody says he believes they were also discussing the disadvantages of a Project Labor Agreement.

The New York Times has written of Carl Dennis' poetry that it is "wise, original and often deeply moving." Dennis, an award winning UB English professor, now has eight collections of poetry. His new one is titled "Practical Gods."

Buffalo, NY – Catholic Charities is looking for a few more heroes. The Diocese of Buffalo kicked off its 2002 appeal Thursday, "Be a Hero, Give Hope." This year's goal is a record $10 million.

It's been a tough year by any standard. The economy, already weakened by recession, was sent reeling after September 11th. And that has led to many more people in need of financial and crisis assistance. Bishop Henry Mansell says the numbers are up in some areas nearly four-fold. But the Bishop says this is not an appeal about numbers.

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(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … Politicians and corporations are continuing to point fingers about who is responsible for a bridge collapse this week in Italy. Now, the government is threatening to take over the nation’s motorways. Then, in a bid to increase levels of local homeownership in New Zealand, the country’s government has passed legislation restricting foreigners from buying residential property after the prime minister blamed foreign speculators for driving up home prices.

This summer, Marketplace Tech is exploring tech in movies. Today, we’re looking at the Bruce Willis classic “Armageddon,” which was the highest-grossing film of 1998. That was 20 years ago, and fans still love the movie today. Willis’ character, Harry Stamper, is a "deep core" oil driller sent into space to drill a hole and drop a bomb in an asteroid that is hurtling toward Earth. We meet Harry on an offshore oil rig, managing a surly crew, with oil flying everywhere.

This summer, Marketplace Tech is exploring tech in movies. Today, we’re looking at the Bruce Willis classic “Armageddon,” which was the highest-grossing film of 1998. Willis’ character, Harry Stamper, is a "deep core" oil driller sent into space to drill a hole and drop a bomb in an asteroid hurtling toward Earth. We meet Harry on an offshore oil rig, managing a surly crew, with oil flying everywhere. It's a depiction of oil-drilling life that has stuck with the public, but has very little to do with reality.

Just days after President Trump tweeted his decision to double tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum, Turkey has announced that it, too, is ratcheting up retaliatory tariffs.

"Tax rates on imports of some products have been increased on a reciprocal basis against the U.S. administration's deliberate attacks on our economy," the country's vice president, Fuat Oktay, said in a pair of tweets.

Heritage Moments

Niagara Falls in the 1800s was an industrialist’s dreamland and a huckster’s paradise. Cheap waterpower abounded­ — all you had to do was build a channel to divert a small portion of the mighty Niagara past your mill, and you were all set. And an enterprising “entrepreneur” need only buy a small parcel of land with a view, erect a tall fence and charge visitors from far and wide exorbitant fees to get a glimpse of the thunderous cataract — the Eighth Wonder of the World, once you paid enough to see it.